In Episode 322 of Curtain Call, we meet Professor Oh Ju-yeon of the dance theory department at San Diego State University in the United States, a scholar who has analyzed K-Pop through the lens of 'dance'. In 2022, she published the first academic book theoretically analyzing K-Pop dance, which became a bestseller in Amazon's related academic category. Recently, this book was also published domestically in Korea as a translated edition titled K-Pop Dance: Dance, Fandom, and Social Media.
A former dancer herself, Professor Oh shares that her experience participating in a K-Pop dance one-day class served as a crucial turning point for her research. She defines K-Pop dance as 'social media dance' and highlights the key concept of 'panderming', where K-Pop fans dance along with idols and become fans of themselves. K-Pop dance is characterized by dancing down to one's gaze, facial expressions, hair, and fingertips. Professor Oh explains that K-Pop dance is not a simple imitation of Western dance, but rather a distinct 'genre' heavily influenced by Korean traditional dance.
She recalls facing early frustrations when people told her that "K-Pop dance is not worth researching," but she is now recognized as a pioneer of 'K-Pop dance studies', receiving lecture requests from universities across the United States. With a K-Pop dance educational guidebook analyzing basic movements set for publication, her ultimate goal is to feature 'K-Pop dance' in dance history textbooks. Do not miss Professor Oh's story of K-Pop told through dance.
♪ SBS 8 News Report, "K-Pop Established as a Dance Genre" (Reported by Kim Soo-hyun on September 3, 2022)
♪ Performance by students in the K-Pop dance theory class at San Diego State University (Provided by Professor Oh Ju-yeon)
[Host : Kim Soo-hyun (SBS Senior Culture Reporter), Lee Byung-hee (Announcer) | Guest : Oh Ju-yeon (Professor of Dance Theory, San Diego State University) | Recording : Yu Gyu-yeon | Editing : Jeong Yong-hee]
▶ "Kim Soo-hyun's Curtain Call" is available for listening on various audio platforms, including the SBS News website, Podbbang, and Apple Podcasts. You can watch the videos collectively in the [Kim Soo-hyun's Culture Reporter Curtain Call] playlist on the YouTube SBS News channel. You can also find related content by category on the official SBS arts and culture YouTube channel [SBS Art Log].
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